Slate.



UNITED STATE-s PATENT. OFFICE.

WILLIAM FRED HAHN, OF PENSACOLA, FLORIDA.

SLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 693,388, dated February 18, 1902.

I Application filed August 31, 1901l Serial No. 74,006. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM FRED HAHN, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Pensacola, in the county of Escambia and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Slates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in slates; and it has for its object to provide a slate with a cheap and simple means for holding a straight-edge or ruler and guiding the same over the face of the slate, so that true and parallel lines may be drawn thereon, such improved means being so constructed as to be attached on both sides of the slate when desired and readily applied to slates such as at present in use without in any manner altering or impairing their construction.V

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following` description and claims whentaken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a face View of a slate with my improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the dotted line 2 2 on Fig. I, and Fig. Bis an enlarged sectional view taken at the point indicated by the dotted line 3 3 in Fig. 1.

Referring by letter to said drawings, A indicates a slate, which maybe of any ordinary or approved make-such, for instance, as the slates used in'school-houses.

My improvements comprise longitudinallydisposed guides B, fasteners C for holding the guides to the slate-frame, and a transverselydisposed and longitudinally-movable straightedge or ruler D. The guides B are here shown as of tubular form in cross-section yand may be composed of sheet metal or other suitable material, although such guides need not be of tubular form, as itis only necessary to have a groove in them to receive and guide the ends of the ruler. Each guide is provided with a longitudinal slot a to receive the ends b of the Vruler D. In making' this ruler of sheet metal the ends may be flanged, as shown, so as to prevent the same from casually comi-ng out of the slots a. Should the ruler be made of other material, it is simply necessary to provide its ends with a lug or shoulder to retain such ends in the slotted guides. I place one guide B on the face of the slate A and contiguous to the inner longitudinal edges of` the sides c of the slate-frame, the ruler D being disposed across the face of the slate, so as to have its ends take into the slots or grooves of the guides B and be moved longitudinally over the slate. The guides are slotted on their inner opposite sides longitudinally to receive the ends of the ruler, and -such guides have graduations, as shown, so as to insure the l drawing of parallel lines, and the ruler is also preferably provided with graduated marks, so that a line of any desired dimensions may be drawn on the slate.

The fasteners for the guides are preferably composed of sheet metal, although other suitable material may be used for the purpose. In employing sheet metal I take a narrow strip of sufficient length and formthe same into substantially the letter A--that is to say, I bend the same about midway of its length, so as to form two parallel branches d, and thenV carry the ends oppositely, upwardly, and inwardly or-in rolls or curls, as shown at e, to embrace the guides B.' The bend f, which is formed by the branches d, is placed over the longitudinal edges of the slate A, so as to straddle the same and have one roll or curl e on each side of said slate. The side bars or strips c are then placed over the longitudinal edges of the slate, With their kerfs over the loops of the holders, and such longitudinal strips or bars are then secured to the cross-bars or end pieces of the slate in the usual manner. It will thus be seen that the holders and also the guides carried thereby will be secured to the slate Without any other means than that employed to secure the frame to the slate, and such improvements may be applied to slates at present on the market by simply removing the side strips or bars and then replacing the same after the holders have been placed over the longitudinal edges of the slate. While I have described very minutely and in detail the construction here shown, I do notfwish to be understood as limiting myself to'such precise construction and arrangement of parts-as, for in'- stance, the guides may be secured to the outer longitudinal ends of the slate by other means than the one shown-and while I have shown guides on opposite sides of the slate I do not wish to be confined to this duplicatiomas I IOO may in sonie cases place the guides but on one side. It is also obvious that the guides may be of angular form in cross-section instead of tubular, and vother modifications may be inade Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

l. The combination with a slate of slotted guides, fasteners for the said guides and a straight-edge or ruler held bythe guides; the fasteners being constructed to engage the longitudinal edges of the slate and be received by the kerfs of the side bars or strips thereof, substantially as speciiied.

2. The combination with a slate; of the holders having the loop to straddle the longitudinal edges of the slate and be held thereon by the side strips of the frame, and also having the curls to receive the guides, and a straight-edge or ruler held by the guides, snbstantially as specified.

2:3. The combination with a slate, of slotted guides arranged' parallel on the face of the slate, holders for said guides having one end bent or looped to straddle the longitudinal edges of the slate, and the side bars or strips of the slate-frame receiving such holders in their keris or grooves, substantially as specilied.

4. A slate having a frame, slotted guides arranged on the face of the slate adjacent to opposite edges thereof, a straight-edge or ruler having its ends arranged in the slots of the guides, and holders for the guides interposed and held between the slate and its frame.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM FREI) IIAIIN.

Witnesses:

R. II. PFEIFFER, .Moon LEVY. 

